Through the first quarter of the season, there were concerns surrounding Luka Doncic's conditioning. Safe to say those concerns seem to have been taken care of given the Slovenian's recent stretch of performance leading into the All-Star break.
In the team's final game before All-Star Weekend, the Mavericks superstar erupted for 49 points in a 125-118 win in New Orleans. It marked Doncic's third 45-point performance in the past four games and ties him with Warriors star Stephen Curry for most games this season of 45 or more.
Doncic also finished with 15 rebounds and eight assists against the Pelicans, putting him alongside some Hall of Famers in the record books.
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Luka Dončić is the 4th player in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Walt Bellamy) with multiple 45-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist games in a calendar month and the 1st since Wilt Chamberlain in January 1966. pic.twitter.com/gIuRwAZdh9
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 18, 2022
This is Doncic's fourth 45-point game in his career, which ties him with Mark Aguirre for the most in franchise history.
"I think I've used every noun, adjective to describe his game, and he just gets better when the stage is big," Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said postgame.
Doncic has now amassed 199 points over his last five games, breaking the franchise record he set a year earlier of 186 points. Only Joel Embiid has had a higher-scoring five-game stretch this season.
Luka Dončić in his last 4 games:
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) February 18, 2022
41.5 points per game
12.3 rebounds per game
7.0 assists per game
47.8 FG%
45.8 3FG%
Luka Dončić in his last 10 games:
35.4 points per game
10.3 rebounds per game
9.8 assists per game
48.8 FG%
43.3 3FG% pic.twitter.com/I2JOuCNRze
As part of the onslaught, Doncic knocked down seven 3-pointers for the third time this season (and second time in the last four games), which is one shy of his career-high.
He began his domination early against the Pelicans by scoring or assisting on 30 of the team's 45 first-quarter points, capped off with a deep buzzer-beating triple.
LUKA DON'T MISS. @dallasmavs | #MFFL | @luka7doncic pic.twitter.com/OSgGzQJnX0
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) February 18, 2022
Doncic took over again after intermission, scoring 20 points in the third quarter. Despite his efforts, which helped the Mavericks lead by as many as 24 points, they nearly gave it all away in the fourth. Doncic scored four points in the final period and Dallas only managed 20 points as a team. Led by CJ McCollum, the Pelicans put together a furious fourth-quarter rally to come within five but it wasn't enough in the end.
This performance caps off a dominant 15-game stretch by Doncic leading into the break. During these games, he's averaged 33.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists on 48.0 percent shooting from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
In a couple of days, Doncic will suit up for his third All-Star Game and his first as a non-starter. It appears that his early-season struggles are truly behind him, setting him and the Mavericks up for a monster second half.
The rest of the league has been warned.
